Reply #5: Obama is essentially our "Reagan" IMHO

[Proud Liberal Dem]

He is personally appealing and well-liked even though he doesn't have the staggeringly high post-9/11 approval ratings that George W. Bush enjoyed for much of his first term though just about anybody serving as POTUS right now (except for maybe John McCain had he been elected- his would probably be lower) would probably be struggling with his approval rating given the ongoing nature of the economy but he still outpolls and outperforms all of the GOP candidates for POTUS so far, so it's clear to me that the public - if these numbers hold up (and/or improve) during the next year- are more likely to be willing to muddle through things with President Obama rather than replace him next year.